About the presenter: Sven Van Damme is from Belgium and was born in the eighties. He is a thinker and a poet and a hard working young man. Playing the guitar once saved his life. As a songwriter for the the BLS-band he looks forward to every gig and would welcome an international career. You may contact him at Sven.van_damme@telenet.be

About the presenter Bart Van Leuven was born in 1964 in Ghent, Belgium. Bart cannot remember ever having spoken fluently. As a young boy he went through several speech therapies, without much success. Two and a half years ago he started off with the BLS-method. Bart is a professional photographer, well-known for his sober, pure style. His international career is based on still lifes and a wide range of books on floral, culinary and architectural topics. (www.bartvanleuven.com)

About the presenter Gert Reunes was born in 1962 in Ghent, Belgium. He was the first Belgian stutterer to graduate from university with a degree in logopaedics. Ever since he has been working with unbridled enthusiasm as a speech therapist. Fifteen years ago he founded the BeSt association for people who stutter (http://www.stotteren.be/).

You can post Questions/comments about the following paper to the authors before October 22, 2010.

Talking To You: a song in honor of ISAD

by Sven Van Damme, Bart Van Leuven, and Gert Reunes from Belgium

The Talking to You release document explains

The MESSAGE:

A nice chat in a cafe, a phone call, or simply saying "Hello." Everyday basic things. But not for everybody. The BLS-band, five young people who stutter, bring their message to their fellows: "Don't allow stuttering to define your life, but FEEL, EXPERIENCE and BELIEVE that also YOU can do it, you can speak." The organization vzw BeSt (Belangengroep Stotterende) supports you on your way to more fluent speech. We know that we can make it and we'd like to dedicate this song to all people who are dealing with stuttering.

Once upon a time there was a boy called Gert, but he could hardly pronounce his own name. Stuttering was his problem. For many years he visited a therapist, but nothing helped, he kept stuttering. One day, he was already 32, he decided to try it once more and took part in a stuttering therapy in the Netherlands. That was his breakthrough! He felt he could make it and from that day on he ardently worked on his speaking skills.

Two years later he had overcome his stuttering problem. Now he wanted to share his experience with his fellow stutterers. He founded vzw BeSt (Belangengroep Stotteren, Association for People who Stutter) and studied logopaedics at Ghent University. On the 7th of July 2000 he graduated and on that same day he opened his stutter therapy centre.

Sven, Lorenzo, Sarah, Tonny and Bart, who attend courses with Gert, learned how to control their speech with the BLS-method, a self-aware way of speaking. They also take part in the Try'n'Talk Weekends of the BeSt-association. During one of those weekends Sven and Bart got to know each other and immediately clicked. They discovered their passion for music, played several jam sessions. Everybody was having a great time!

One day Sven wasn't really satisfied with his speech performance. He sought consolation, took his guitar and created the first draft of Talking to You. Bart joined him and they put lyrics to the melody, saying that, if you try hard, if you take every opportunity to speak with other people, you will succeed, you will be able to speak more fluently. Soon the duo was joined by Sarah, Tonny and Lorenzo. They were now a band and perform their song on numerous Try'n'Talk-weekends with enormous success.